Apr

11

Apr

13

Stevens Professor Rainer Martini offers a first-hand account of the tireless efforts of Stevens volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

As Hurricane Sandy slowly lost its power I was fortunate to retain mine. But I itched to help those who were much less fortunate. As soon as Hoboken asked for volunteers, I made my way to City Hall.

When I arrived, there was already a group of approximately 30 volunteers waiting for instructions, plus a few members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the administration of the City of Hoboken. I immediately recognized several Stevens students among the volunteers, and as the crowd grew, more and more familiar faces arrived.

Finally, we got our marching orders: distributing water to elderly and handicapped people who were trapped in one of the high-rises on the waterfront. To get more resources and helping hands, many of the Stevens students reached out to their fraternity brothers, sorority sisters and roommates. And then we were off.

The destination was a 25-story building with only two narrow stairways. The elevators were out of service and there was not enough pressure in the water lines to reach beyond the second floor. There weren’t nearly enough buckets to transport water to the higher floors.